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Dr. Andrew Rynne
MD
Dr. Andrew Rynne

Family Physician

Exp 50 years

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Delayed Period, Tender Breasts, Milky White Nipple Discharge, Light Cramps, Dark Brown Spotting. Pregnant?

Im 4 days late for my period. During this wait i have begun to experience severe breast tenderness with a milky white nipple discharge and light cramping. Today i began yo have dark brown spotting. The spotting is small amounts but often times a sticky consistancey. This is not like any periods I have every had. Is it possible that I am pregnant and goinv through the implantation phase?
Sat, 18 May 2013
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General & Family Physician,  's  Response
Hello and welcome to HCM.

Thank you for your query.

I would first like to ask whether this is the first time you are experiencing a delay in your periods, or were they always irregular? If they were never before irregular,then there is most certainly some cause to this delay (keeping the symptoms you are experiencing in mind).

The most important investigation and confirmation/ruling out, will be for your pregnancy status. In all such cases, pregnancy has to first be ruled out, especially with a brown discharge that you are experiencing. I shall explain this later in our discussion. Please get a home pregnancy test done, with an early morning urine sample as this would yield a most accurate result. Repeat this test 2-3 times, to confirm your status. If it returns positive, I request you to visit your doctor at the earliest for an ultrasound to rule out conditions like ectopic pregnancy, miscarriage, etc. (due to the brown discharge).

If it confirms a negative result then we need to further investigate. A milky discharge from the nipples is indeed distressing, which is why I shall list out most of the causes for this:
-Hormonal imbalances
-Around menopause
-Thyroid disorders
-Medications (antidepressants, BP medications, cocaine, etc.)
-Birth control pills
-Herbal supplements
-Pituatary tumors
-Kidney disorders
-Stimulation of the breast (could be from constant squeezing, fondling, clothes, etc.)
-Chest injuries
-Spinal cord abnormalities
and a few others. If you can relate to any of these conditions, and your doctor is aware about this, then you can ignore this. But, if you cannot relate to any of these conditions, you need to visit a doctor at the earliest.

Let me also list a few most common causes of a brown discharge for you:
-Ectopic pregnancy
-Miscarriage
-Normal in some women
-Polyps
-Around menopause
and a few other factors.

What is also important is your age. As both a milky nipple discharge and a brown discharge (spotting) could be signs of menopause approaching, and would then be normal.

I hope I have succeeded in providing the information you were looking for. Please feel free to write back to me for any further clarifications. I would gladly help you.

Best wishes.
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Delayed Period, Tender Breasts, Milky White Nipple Discharge, Light Cramps, Dark Brown Spotting. Pregnant?

Hello and welcome to HCM. Thank you for your query. I would first like to ask whether this is the first time you are experiencing a delay in your periods, or were they always irregular? If they were never before irregular,then there is most certainly some cause to this delay (keeping the symptoms you are experiencing in mind). The most important investigation and confirmation/ruling out, will be for your pregnancy status. In all such cases, pregnancy has to first be ruled out, especially with a brown discharge that you are experiencing. I shall explain this later in our discussion. Please get a home pregnancy test done, with an early morning urine sample as this would yield a most accurate result. Repeat this test 2-3 times, to confirm your status. If it returns positive, I request you to visit your doctor at the earliest for an ultrasound to rule out conditions like ectopic pregnancy, miscarriage, etc. (due to the brown discharge). If it confirms a negative result then we need to further investigate. A milky discharge from the nipples is indeed distressing, which is why I shall list out most of the causes for this: -Hormonal imbalances -Around menopause -Thyroid disorders -Medications (antidepressants, BP medications, cocaine, etc.) -Birth control pills -Herbal supplements -Pituatary tumors -Kidney disorders -Stimulation of the breast (could be from constant squeezing, fondling, clothes, etc.) -Chest injuries -Spinal cord abnormalities and a few others. If you can relate to any of these conditions, and your doctor is aware about this, then you can ignore this. But, if you cannot relate to any of these conditions, you need to visit a doctor at the earliest. Let me also list a few most common causes of a brown discharge for you: -Ectopic pregnancy -Miscarriage -Normal in some women -Polyps -Around menopause and a few other factors. What is also important is your age. As both a milky nipple discharge and a brown discharge (spotting) could be signs of menopause approaching, and would then be normal. I hope I have succeeded in providing the information you were looking for. Please feel free to write back to me for any further clarifications. I would gladly help you. Best wishes.